Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the
world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to
over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a
wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history,
humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced
features available, you will need to register first. Registration is
absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

For me I think it's Martial ability. Because:
A) Most people coming to a martial arts school are looking for that.
B) I think that everything else is a bi-product of martial ability, the more you cultivate it, the more you will develop in the other fields naturally.

It's seems you've managed to open and close a thread all rather succinctly, in just one post! Martial ability is pretty much the umbrella over that list, and some of them are somewhat synononomous to the aforementioned. What if you asked which technique, or which item of kihon? I for one would like to improve my footwork. I'm a bit long of limb, and as this weeks poll asks, I sometimes to often attempt techniques with my feet planted. I'm learning, but I'd like to focus on it.

Any drills out there that have helped other people gain more fleetness of foot?

...I emphasize 'AWARENESS' ...it's the most important aspect of any type of self defense, whether you're studying martial arts, firearm use, or just plain old personal protection. Being aware will keep you safe, lack of it negates any weapon you have or any martial art training you've done.

...but if you're talking about what I emphazie in the dojo after the awareness issue has been addressed, it's 'tai sabaki'!

Regards,

Brian Vickery

"The highest level of technique to achieve is that of having NO technique!"

Well put Chris, martial ability or a martial mindset is very important. Key, whatever you want to call it (in my opinion at least).

Aside from that, Ukemi is my favourite topic. I feel that many people ignore ukemi and only learn the little that they need to get through basic techniques (ok, mainly low kyu grades but I have seen some yudansha with poor ukemi). By ukemi I also mean attacking and all that goes with it, not just breakfalls. I think too many people focus on technique and being a "good" nage. Too me this is flawed and maybe selfish and possibly ego-tistical. It just leads to a decline in ukemi across the board and possible injury in later life. It deprives the aikido community of good uke/training partners/skills. I feel strongly about this.

Also, maybe it would be nice to be able to teach people to love training, but this is probably one of the things that you cant teach...

They're all screaming about the rock n roll, but I would say that it's getting old. - REFUSED.

One of my teachers said that Ukemi is the most practical thing taught in Aikido. The reasoning being that you dont' have to be fighting to fall down, people do it all the time. I think lots of people lack to teach complete ukemi. I had someone else's students come to my class the other day, I started to explain the reasoning behind what Uke was doing in the practice. They were shocked and said no one had ever told them that there was a reasoning to what Uke was doing. Nice point Nick!!

Hang on guys,
I thought the thread was what would you teach if you had to choose a single thing.

Limited.?
Of coarse its limited. Its just one aspect.

David,

Good point. This thread is about teaching a single thing.

My comment was meant to mean that that aspect of "martial" limited it to be a fight with another person, whereas I believe there is much more within that word. As you pointed out in your post.

Amazing how much gets lost in translation here with people's biases popping up all over the place.

If I had to teach a single thing it would boil down to "spirit" and "drive", both of which are important if fighting a single person, a group of people, or even yourself.

Spirit allows you overcome difficult obstacles.

Spirit allows you to persevere in the face of difficult challenges.

Spirit allows you to never give up.

Spirit allows you to to dig as deep within your body and soul as you can in any situation requiring that.

As far as I am concerned, Aikido technique and the ability to "fight someone" is a simple by-product of training your spirit. The Aikido we study is just one method of training our spirit and the techniques we gain are just a by-product of that training.

Its often been said that its not the art/budo/fighting method but the person that makes the difference in a fight.

This would, to me, be equivelant to saying it's the person's spirit that is important...not the art. So that's what I teach...with Aikido being the chosen tool.

My few yen...

--Michael

Hiriki no yosei 3 - The kihon that makes your head ache instead of your legs

that would be second on my list.
Hell put it first.
I'm nothing if not flexible.

I was talking to a couple of Australian Judo Olympians a month or so ago. They had the same thought...that it was the spirit of the competitor that made them strive for victory and to become part of the olympic team and to win in competition...

So it appears you are in good company. Congratulations.

--Michael

Hiriki no yosei 3 - The kihon that makes your head ache instead of your legs

here's a song for my answer:
If I couldn't teach all,
If I could only teach just that one thing,
Just that one thing,
It would probably beeeee,
good usage of kiiiii,
just that one thing,
just that one thing.
What I mean by kiiiiii,
is awareness of bodyyyy,
and your center,
and your center.

that could go on forever, but i'll stop there.

Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.
-Barry LePatner